Prophetic Seminar – OPISOP (Ordinary People International School of Prophets) by Dr. Annette Wright. Teaching by George E Markakis. This is the Part 1 of the online, virtual Seminar (the teaching only).

Purpose – to prepare believers in Christ who know how to make themselves available to the Lord to be used prophetically, and, in the prophetic ministry (for those who are called to that type of ministry).

1. The major categories of the prophetic:
a) God’s gifting given by birth.
b) Manifestation (gift) of the Spirit.
c) Ministry given by the Lord Jesus as Head, to equip His Body.

2. The “mechanics” of how the prophetic anointing is released:
a) The spirit of prophecy. Rev. 19:10
b) The gift of prophecy. Acts 21:9
c) The word of the prophet. Acts 21:10

3. The most basic types of the prophets
a) The prophet who sees
b) The prophet who speaks
c) The prophet who interprets

4. The triune human nature: spirit, soul and mind/body
– The genuine prophetic flows out of the spirit of man (the “heart”), whereas the thoughts of the intellect and the emotions of the soul may be a hindrance that stops the genuine, or, a filter that perverts the message, or, produce “prophecies” even when the Spirit of the Lord did not “speak”.
– We need to learn how to remove the influence of our own intellect and emotions, and how to release the genuine prophetic anointing which springs forth through man’s spirit, without interfering in anyway with the word that God wants to speak through us.

5. The different realms where various spirits operate.
a) The earthly realm; this is where the spirit of the world operates; this is where man’s carnal nature prevails.
b) The heavenly places (or heavenlies); this is the demonic realm where Darkness prevails, yet, it is also where “we were seated together with Jesus” (Eph.2:6).
c) The realm of Heaven (also called “third heaven”, and “paradise” in 2 Cor.12:2-4) where the Presence of God is; known also as “the Throne Room”.

6. Most important elements, functions, activities for the Prophetic

a) A life of prayer with commitment and dedication. A prophet is primarily a “priest of God”; the work and the prophetic word to people flows out of that position of serving God first.

b) A lifestyle of self-examination, sanctification, and the preservation of a person’s purity in Christ, is the only way for a prophet to remain a pure channel that transmits the Lord’s living word.

c) Strong emphasis on inner healing so that prophets may be free from wounds and pain of the heart and the soul, which may generate bad motives and distortion of feelings.

d) Disciplined effort to develop character that reflects Christ, through the inner transformation that comes by the renewing of the mind.

e) Consistent life of fellowship with other believers, where rubbing shoulders and practicing love for the others sharpens the rough edges, and trains for proper communication that edifies.

f) Submission to higher (level of) authority. This is a non-negotiable position in which a prophet needs to be committed.

g) Knowing the fear of the Lord. The prophetic people must always be positioned under the fear of God, so that they may never say things that God is not saying, and always say everything that God is saying.

h) Practice, practice, and then some more practice! Constant practice sharpens the prophetic gifting in terms of discernment, as well as the expression of the prophetic flow.
 
7. The 3 major “passions” of a Prophet:
a) The Voice of the Lord.
b) The “Cave” is the place of retreat, hidden away from the world and dwelling there, in the Presence of the Lord.
c) The “River” and knowing how to “swim in the waters of the Spirit”!

8. Prophets go/minister in groups (of at least two)
a) “Prophets, two or three prophesy…”. (1 Cor. 14:29) – the prophetic ministry is corporate, with the contribution of all involved.
b) “… and the others discern!”; (1 Cor. 14:29) – the prophetic word(s) need(s) to be discerned.
c) “Judas and Silas, prophets, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words” (Acts 15:32) – these two prophets were formal ministers sent from Jerusalem (Acts 15:22).
d) “Agabus, one of the prophets” (Acts 11:27-28) prophesied a future event (a famine that was to come).

9. Learn to discern the difference between the genuine prophetic anointing, and the counterfeit “anointings” which supposedly speak “for” God, such as below.
– We need to learn how to discern these spirits to protect ourselves and the people of God from their destructive influence.
– The need and the gift of discerning of spirits is an inherent and integral part of the prophetic ministry.
a) Jezebel (Revelation 2:20)
b) Python (Acts 16:16)
c) The spirit of error (or deceit; 1 John 4:6)
d) The human spirit (“soulish prophetic words”, or, “speaking from the belly”; ref. Romans 16:18, Philippians 3:19).